


Advent 16

by darksquall, lanapanda



Series: Science Boys Advent 2012 [11]
Category: Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Advent 2012, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, advent fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-30
Updated: 2012-12-30
Packaged: 2017-11-22 22:40:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/615157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darksquall/pseuds/darksquall, https://archiveofourown.org/users/lanapanda/pseuds/lanapanda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their last day of intimacy before "saving themselves for marriage" doesn't quite go according to plan...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Advent 16

It wasn’t that Tony didn’t want to help people. He did. And it wasn’t that he didn’t want to stop the bad guys. He absolutely did. But when the bad guys decided to rob a bank on the same street as the little café that he’d wanted to take for lunch before spending the rest of the day being incredibly intimate... well, Tony couldn’t help feeling a little conspired against. Was it really too much to hope for a villain-free month?  
  
“If we weren’t here, it’d be worse,” Bruce said softly as he took note of Tony’s exasperated expression. The enemy hadn’t seen them yet -- neither was in their official Avengers “uniform” so to speak -- but the people fleeing the area were bound to get them noticed soon, if only because they were directing people to safer areas and not fleeing along with the crowd.  
  
Tony watched the HYDRA agents swarm the street. There was a bank on this street, but it was barely boutique-sized and Tony had no idea why they’d even bother with it. “We’re calling in backup, just in case this isn’t a separate pod of crazies doing their usual crazy bullshit.”  
  
“Better get on the comm then,” Bruce nodded, moving to a less conspicuous spot on the street. So far there was no shooting -- trying to figure out what they were up against in terms of manpower was important. A small enough number and Iron Man might be able to take them out alone, not that Bruce wanted it that way. Besides, knowing which direction to point the Other Guy was better for everyone. Bruce took a deep breath and frowned, moving closer to the enemy’s position. “I think you need the suit.”  
  
Tony looked up, but saw no immediate danger. Regardless, he switched from the alert he’d just put out over the comm and patched JARVIS through. “Need the Mach VII at my coordinates.” He didn’t wait for a reply, but instead moved to follow Bruce, “What is it?”  
  
“I can smell tar. There’s no work being done on this street, so... it could be C4.”  
  
“Gimme a minute and I’ll be able to scan.” It was times like this that Tony wished he’d had more time with the tesseract. While it was very simple to get the suit to where he was in the city currently, the ability to open a wormhole for transport would have been even better. Tony counted down the seconds until the suit was close enough to descend, and then stood still while the Mach VII wrapped itself around him (complete with flashing Christmas lights that they hadn’t had time to remove from the day before). “... crap. They’ve got a bomb in the street and readouts are that it’s unstable. Going to intercept.”  
  
“Be careful, Tony,” Bruce said softly, already moving to help the few people who were still making their escape from the area.  
  
“You too,” Tony replied as he flew to meet the bad guys head on. There was a time when Tony would have been flippant about it, when being careful would have been the last thing on his mind. Bruce had changed that, and in the moments that passed between those words and Iron Man engaging the enemy, all Tony hoped for was the chance to take them down fast. Fast enough that Bruce wouldn’t have to let the Other Guy out to play.  
  
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way.  
  
They’d been lucky to be able to clear out so many people without getting spotted. But Iron Man was not an inconspicuous target, and if HYDRA had somehow managed to miss the red and gold arsenal headed their way, there was no way they could miss that _and_ the sparkling Christmas lights.  
  
Bruce felt the heat from the blast wave first. The shrapnel that followed made everything bleed into green and then black. Iron Man hoisted himself out of a heap of debris at the Hulk’s yell of outrage and flew towards the nearest assailant, lasers engaged.  
  
One bomb was hardly enough to take the Iron Man suit out of commission, even at close range. The Hulk was even less fazed, and by the time the Quinjet arrived with Hawkeye and Black Widow, there was a pile of HYDRA agents in the street, and Iron Man was leading hostages out to the waiting ambulances.  
  
Hawkeye took one look at the twinkling lights on the Iron Man suit and snickered. He was still snickering even after Black Widow swatted him a few times to get him to land nearby to start taking HYDRA’s people into custody.  
  
“Good work, Big Guy.” Tony’s voice inside the suit came across a little crackly from damage to the comm. He could already feel the burning pain at his back that said he’d gotten cut up from the force of the impact. Nothing felt broken, but Tony could definitely smell blood.  
  
The Hulk huffed. It had hardly been a challenge to throw puny bad guys into a heap, even with the shooting and a few more minor explosions. “Go home now?”  
  
“Yeah. Yeah, I think we can go home,” Tony replied. His voice was faintly breathless, even through the crackling of the comm. The adrenaline was wearing off, and with its departure, the pain was starting to bleed in. Literally.  
  
The Iron Man suit swayed a little when Hulk poked it in the arm. “Shiny man need help?”  
  
“I’m good, Big Guy. Just need to get home and make some repairs.”  
  
“Hulk go first.”  
  
Iron Man nodded. “Alright. Ready whenever you are.” He turned over the scene to Black Widow and Hawkeye.  
  
Hulk started jumping. Iron Man flew after him, waiting for the moment he knew would come before they could make it back to the Tower. Hulk eventually slowed, getting more sluggish with each jump until the change started manifesting itself physically. Iron Man was right there to intercept when Hulk became Bruce again, and he scooped up his unconscious fiancé without missing a beat. The suit protested slightly, making them waver in midair for a brief moment, but Tony corrected for the minor instability and got them home without incident.  
  
Bruce was awake again by the time Tony had gotten them back to the Tower, and the landing on the balcony seemed to bring him a measure of relief. “The bomb went off, right?” he asked, his voice rough and tired. He was clinging to Tony, even as Tony carried him inside to their bedroom, still in the suit.  
  
“Unfortunately, yes. I tried to shield everyone as best I could. Thankfully, no casualties.” Tony took off the helmet with one hand and set it on the dresser.  
  
Bruce nodded, relief warring with concern as he asked, “Are you okay?”  
  
Tony grinned his reassuring grin. “Few new scars for you to kiss on our wedding night, that’s all.”  
  
“Let me see,” Bruce’s voice was edged with worry, but Tony shook his head slightly.    
  
“After you rest. I swear none of it is major.” It was the truth -- Tony knew he was probably still bleeding but nothing felt deep or deadly. He wasn’t lightheaded. The ever-present coconut and metal taste that always intensified when he was injured wasn’t overwhelming. He’d be fine. But first, he needed out of the suit. He disengaged the gloves separately, keeping Bruce in either arm the entire time.  
  
Bruce rested a trembling hand on Tony’s cheek, eyes starting to close again at the reassurance. “Will you stay with me?”  
  
“You know I will.” Tony put his hand over Bruce’s, warm and gentle. They’d been through this before, more times than Tony would have liked. As much as Tony did like the Hulk, what it cost Bruce to transform and come back -- the pain, the exhaustion, both physical and emotional -- was just too high a price in Tony’s mind.  
  
Tony settled Bruce on the bed, not caring that they’d have to toss the sheets and potentially the mattress. He wanted Bruce to have the comforting scent of their bed. Later, it would definitely mean new sheets to get rid of the blood and dust smell. But for now, Tony hit the emergency release button on the suit and stepped out of it, getting undressed right there by the bed so as to remain close by.  
  
Bruce did his best not to curl in on himself, to hold out against the burning sensation crawling across his skin. The moment Tony slid under the covers and started coaxing him closer, he wrapped both arms around Tony and let himself cling to his fiancé. “Thank you.”  
  
“Shhh,” Tony said, and already his hands were working their magic, holding him close. The thumb of one hand traced the dip of Bruce’s spine over and over, a steady, regular sensation that was incredibly soothing. It also gave Bruce something to focus on as the little shivers of sensation wore on.  
  
Tony just kept petting him, waiting Bruce to calm down, for those little needy noises to subside and for his lover’s breathing to grow slow and deep. It wasn’t until he was absolutely certain that Bruce was sleeping comfortably that Tony allowed himself to doze. Cat naps, really. He drifted in a quasi-awake but mostly asleep frame of mind, just awake enough to be certain he didn’t move too much and jostle his fiancé.  
  
It was several hours later when Bruce woke up again, and Tony was just coherent enough to hear Bruce when he said, “We need a shower.”  
  
“Mrph. Yeah.” Tony went through a quick mental inventory of every ache and pain, noting that most of them had faded, though the bleeding had taken a while to stop fully.”I think I’m stuck to the sheets though, and not in the fun way.”  
  
Bruce ran a hand through his own hair, taking in the situation as best he could without his glasses. After a moment, he nuzzled Tony’s neck and murmured, “Could take you and the sheet. It’d hurt less.”  
  
“Mmm,” was Tony’s immediate response. Just feeling the affection, knowing that Bruce felt better, it made everything else seem trivial by comparison. “Yeah... I’m all for it hurting less.”  
  
Bruce continued the affection, kissing Tony soothingly before he asked, “Think you can walk?”  
  
“Mmhmm. I’m not even concussed this time. Just cut my back pretty good. And my left leg on the outside. Pretty sure I have a bruise on my other shoulder. Everything else feels just fine."  
  
"We still have some spare glasses for me, right?"  
  
“Always.” Tony nodded, and gestured with one hand to the nightstand. Tony kept spares of Bruce’s glasses around in several places. In the bedroom was one place, but he also had a pair in a compartment in the suit, and a pair in the lab that he occasionally stole to read the fine print on contracts when Bruce wasn’t around to see it.  
  
Bruce carefully sat up, making sure that he wasn’t jostling Tony or hurting him further. He grabbed his glasses from the nightstand, and then carefully got the big blanket off of Tony before wrapping him in the one sheet that was soaked through with blood.  
  
“I feel like I need sandals and a little leaf halo or something,” Tony murmured as he submitted to being wrapped in the sheet like a good patient.  
  
“You’ve never had a toga party?” Bruce asked, incredulous.  
  
“Nope. Should I schedule one for when we get back from the honeymoon?” Tony’s grin was infectious, and it made Bruce laugh and shake his head.  
  
“No, I think we can pass.” He held out his hands for Tony and helped him out of bed.  
  
“Only for a couple more weeks. Then we don’t have to pretend anymore.” Tony quipped, but the teasing was short-lived when he inadvertently twisted the wrong way. He slid to the edge of the bed with a faint groan and leaned against Bruce for a moment. “Found a couple more bruises.”  
  
“I’m sorry, Love.” Bruce kissed Tony again, all comfort and gentleness.  
  
“Mmm. Don’t be. I’ll be fine by Christmas,” Tony said. He put both arms around Bruce for balance and let him lead the way to the bathroom.  
  
“So much for our last night of sin together,” Bruce smiled wistfully as he got Tony propped up beside the tub.  
  
“Well, we got in a lot of sinning before tonight,” Tony said with a smile. He watched Bruce get the water started for the shower and relaxed as best he could. Two more weeks. With any luck, this would be the worst they’d have to go through between now and then. “This is just... extra incentive to unwrap our presents after we say our vows."  
  
Bruce chuckled and made sure the water was just warm enough -- not too hot -- and helped Tony into the shower underneath the spray. “Okay, I’ll go with that.”  
  
“Mmm...” Tony’s eyes closed and he leaned into the water, letting the warmth soothe away the tension from the pain. The sheet was soon dripping wet and Tony could feel the dried blood starting to loosen a bit. He didn’t want to disappoint Bruce. He also didn’t want to disappoint _himself_. He’d been looking forward to a day spent exploring every inch of his lover, of being so pleasurably exhausted that they wouldn’t miss the sex so much (at least for a few days). “Or we could... have sex like we did when we first started being... very, very intimate.”  
  
That slow, careful sex was rarer now. Those first few times, learning each other’s limits, savoring every touch, every experience... Tony found the idea of going back to that for a night very appealing. He wasn’t too injured for that -- already the coconut taste at the back of his throat was fading to ignorable levels again. He was fine.  
  
“One last time. Slow and... intimate?” Bruce smiled and carefully started unwinding the sheet once it was soaked through. As much as neither of them liked the other to be hurt, Bruce enjoyed being there for Tony when he needed someone to help him through the injuries.  
  
They had grown to rely on each other for those little comforts, those secret weaknesses that no one else knew about. Only Tony knew just how much it hurt for Bruce to come back to himself afterwards. Only Bruce knew just how much of Tony’s ‘I’m fine’ routine was an act, and just how much he needed to compensate for Tony’s pain tolerance when figuring out where the worst injuries were.  
  
Tony reached out and brushed his fingertips against Bruce’s mouth as he unwound the sheet and sat it to one side of the tub. "One last time... as fiancés."  
  
Bruce kissed Tony's fingertips gently. "I like the sound of that. I'm going to need to bandage some of these wounds though." They were shallow enough that they wouldn’t need stitches, Bruce was glad to see. Once the shower had washed away most of the blood, they didn’t look too bad at all.  
  
"Have I mentioned that you're my favorite doctor? It's the bedside manner."  
  
“Compliments will get you everywhere, even if I'm your only doctor,” Bruce said with a smile.  
  
"You'll always be my only doctor. You give the best physicals." Tony actively avoided any situation that required being touched when he was not in control. That included doctor’s visits. Letting Bruce handle the yearly exam that meant he was competent to make business decisions was just one more benefit to their intimacy.  
  
“I know your body well,” Bruce agreed, leaning into the shower to murmur the words into Tony’s ear.  
  
Tony closed his eyes and shivered, the warm water doing nothing at all to stop the little chill that ran down his spine at the words. "Yes. No one has ever known me like you do."  
  
Bruce stayed right where he was, and kissed Tony underneath the spray of the shower, still leaning in, one hand braced on the wall. “I love you. All of you.”  
  
Tony nibbled at Bruce's lips. "Mmm... I love you more than anything or anyone I've ever known. Shower with me? We still have... a few hours left before our deadline."  
  
"Put your arms around me and let me get close -- but nothing adventurous until I've covered those wounds okay?”  
  
"I just want to hold you and maybe wash your hair, honest." Tony put his arms around Bruce once he’d stepped into the shower, pausing only long enough to let Bruce get close enough to lean against.  
  
That I can agree to,” Bruce replied. He rested his hands against Tony’s hips carefully, holding him a little closer each moment that went past. They were alright, this time. And another day closer to their ‘Happily Ever After’.  
  
"I do love it when you're agreeable, Bruce." Tony relaxed against Bruce with a sigh. Having him close made the pain a hundred times more bearable. It made everything feel ‘right’ somehow. Like they could build a life out of comfort and kisses and there was nothing anyone or anything could do to stop it.  
  
It was a while before Tony actually roused himself to wash Bruce’s hair, but Bruce didn’t seem to mind that. He was very gentle about it, mindful of the fact that even though Bruce was recovered from the worst of the pain, he’d still be hypersensitive in some ways.  
  
Even though Tony was careful, massaging Bruce’s scalp was enough to make Bruce shiver when he was like this. Tony listened to the breathless little noises Bruce made at having his hair washed and promised himself that he would always be there to do this for Bruce. No matter what, Bruce would not have to come back to himself alone. He leaned in and gave Bruce a soft kiss before murmuring, "Let's get you rinsed off."  
  
“Alright. I’ll wash your hair in the morning,” Bruce said with a smile. The quiet affection was just what they both needed, but he knew Tony would need to rest again soon.  
  
"You can wash it now. I'm just trying not to get too... distracted before you patch me up."  
  
Bruce ran his fingers through Tony's hair, gently checking for cuts that Tony may not have realized were there. Scalp wounds usually bled a lot, but there had been a few times when Tony’s hair had hidden the little cuts and scrapes. "Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you more."  
  
Tony tipped his head down towards Bruce's fingers and smiled. "I'm sure. Soap only stings a little, and I won't notice it if you keep touching me like this."  
  
The lack of flinching was a good sign. It meant that Tony was quite likely just fine. Bruce kissed Tony softly and reached for the shampoo. "Close your eyes for me then."  
  
Tony shut his eyes at the kiss, and left them like that, eyelashes fluttering. "Nn... It's saying something about our sex life when you asking me to shut my eyes starts turning me on."  
  
“It says we've come a long way since that first clumsy kiss,” Bruce replied with a smile.  
  
Bruce showed Tony same gentle care that Tony had shown over Bruce, washing his hair both gently and thoroughly. It made Tony lean a little closer with each passing moment, the occasional sigh or soft, pleasured noise escaping his lips. ”Wasn’t clumsy so much as... desperate.”  
  
"It was a _little_ clumsy love." Bruce was still smiling as he remembered it.  
  
“Mmm... okay, yes. The facial hair thing. It kinda tickles and that threw me off.”  
  
“Alright, keep your eyes closed for me,” Bruce said as he guided Tony underneath the water to rinse. “And yes, giggling is always an entertaining reaction to a kiss."  
  
Tony didn’t even try to deny the fact that he’d giggled. It was one of those things that made the memory that much sweeter. He shut his eyes a little tighter and tried to ignore the way his mind wanted to speculate on where Bruce might put his hands in the name of keeping him balanced. ”It was a great kiss. I never expected you to kiss me back like that, though.”  
  
“Neither did Dum-E,” Bruce said drily. He directed the majority of the soap away from the cuts on Tony’s back as best he could once they were clean, and made sure his hair was rinsed completely.  
  
Tony laughed. ”I think our core temperature went beyond expected levels in his presence.”  
  
Bruce chuckled and pulled Tony to him again, rubbing his back and trying his best to avoid bruises along with the scrapes. "I never looked back. Not once."  
  
Tony could not help the way his body reacted when they were close like that. The warm water and the soap and Bruce’s hands on his skin just made the reaction that much more unavoidable. ”Me neither. I’d been wanting to kiss you for almost a month. If I’d realized you were only pretending to be shy...”  He trailed off, eyelashes fluttering as he finally opened his eyes again to look at Bruce.  
  
“I'm not pretending to be shy... You just bring out something different in me."  
  
“You are the most beautiful, sensual lover I’ve ever had. If it’s something I did... well, I just hope I can keep doing it.”  
  
In response, Bruce kissed Tony slowly, tenderly, coaxing him into deepening the kiss little by little. It was a very long moment indeed before they both came up for air. "I admit, Mr Stark, that is part of why I'm marrying you."  
  
“Mmmhmm... a lifetime of incredible orgasms?” Tony asked, a bit breathless and dazed.  
  
Bruce chuckled and reached up to turn off the water. "Because you make me whole again. Even those parts I didn't know I was missing are there when I'm with you. Now. Bedroom, bandages and our last night of lovemaking?”  
  
“Yes. As long as you fill this prescription personally, Doctor.”  
  
Bruce guided Tony back out of the shower and wrapped a towel around him gently, leading him back to the bedroom, and the bed they shared every night. "Of course, Mr. Stark."  



End file.
